The lion is called the king of the animals, he lives in the African Savannah, know more, read on!
General
The lion belongs to the feline, it is a large supple predator. The lion is called the King of the beasts because of his strength and his wild behavior, every other animal in the Savannah “bows” to him. As I said before, the lion is a predator so hunting is the most important activity in their lives besides sleeping.
The hunt
The hunt takes place at night or in the morning because otherwise it is too hot to walk. They are therefore better camouflaged. Hunting is a task for the lionesses, usually in groups. To hunt successfully they have a tactic:
The group surrounds the prey without being seen, 1 of the lionesses then stalks the prey. When the prey realizes this, the lioness succeeds, the animal starts walking but ends up in the claws of 1 of the other lionesses.
The prey is not always killed by them, hyenas are also predators that fear the lions, when they have caught prey they start to roar loudly. When lions in the neighborhood hear this, they use their position of power to steal the prey of the hyenas.
The male lion does not hunt with the lionesses because his mane is too obvious, but he is the one who will eat first. Then the lionesses, usually the prey is then pulled into the shade so that the cubs can also eat.
Risks of the hunt
- The prey fights back, the lion is wounded, the wound is infected, the lion dies of its wounds.
- Great drought, no prey to be found.
- When there is a lot of food, more lions are born, but this does not compensate with the number of prey.
The appearance
A male lion can be recognized by its mane, which starts to grow from three years of age. The darker the mane, the older the lion. An adult lion can weigh up to 250 kilograms.
A lioness has no mane, and is also finer built, she must radiate strength but above all flexibility for hunting, she needs strength to be able to protect her cubs.
The lion’s tail is an important organ, it ensures its balance. By the tail you can also recognize his mood, unlike a dog, if a lion moves his tail violently back and forth, it does not mean that he is happy to see you, but rather that he will attack you.
With its eyes a lion can see very well both at night and during the day. Because the eyes of a lion are also wide apart, he can estimate something well, so he has good depth perception.
If a lion’s teeth are healthy, it consists of 30 teeth.
- 12 incisors
- 4 canines
- 14 dial
The fur of a lion is of course for protection and for warmth.
A lion walks on pads, these ensure that it can move almost silently, for the rest they function as calluses to protect its claws.
The mating
Lions live in groups, the lionesses in this group stay together all their lives. The lion is fertile from the age of 4, a lioness only from the age of 5. When a lioness is in heat, it can be mated. This moment itself does not last long, to end it the lioness gives the lion a tap on the snout so that it shoots. She does this because the lion has barbs on its penis, when it disappears they disappear.
To become ‘pregnant’, a lioness has to be mated 150 times because a lion’s seed is very weak.
The gestation period of a lioness is 3 to 4 months. Childbirth is called a birth. Usually it is a litter of two or three cubs.